Texts

Aided Echach meic Maireda ‘The death of Eochu mac Maireda’

  • Middle Irish
  • prose
  • Medieval Irish literature, Aideda
On the origin of Lough Neagh (‘lake of Eochu’)
Manuscripts
ff. 39a–41b
Story interpolated by the hand known as ‘(scribe) H’
Language
  • Middle Irish
Date
12th century (Ranke de Vries)
Form
prose (primary)
verse (secondary)

Classification

Medieval Irish literatureMedieval Irish literature
...

AidedaAideda
...

Subjects

Eochu mac Maireda
Eochu mac Maireda
No short description available

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Lí BanLí Ban
Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

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Midir
Midir of Brí Léith
one of the Túatha Dé Danann in early Irish literature

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Loch nEchach
Loch nEchach ... Lough Neagh
County Down, County Antrim, County Armagh, County Tyrone, County Derry
No short description available

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Keywords

InundationInundation
...

Sources

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Vries, Ranke de, Two texts on Loch nEchach: De causis torchi Corc' Óche and Aided Echach maic Maireda, Irish Texts Society, 65, London: Irish Texts Society, 2012.  
abstract:

This volume, edited by Ranke de Vries, contains editions of two important texts related to the mythological origin of Lough Neagh and its aftermath. The earlier of the two texts, De causis, contains a seventh-century poem by Luccreth moccu Chíara that can be regarded as the earliest example of deibide. The second, Aided Echach, is a prosimetric text found only in Lebor na hUidre (in the hand of the interpolator H). The editions are preceded by a general discussion on the development of the tradition concerning the origin of the lake.

Edition and translation
[ed.] [tr.] OʼGrady, Standish Hayes, Silva Gadelica, 2 vols, London: Williams & Norgate, 1892.
Internet Archive – vol. 1: <link> Internet Archive – vol. 1 (originally from Google): <link>, <link> Internet Archive – vol. 2 (originally from Google): <link>, <link>
Vol 1: 233–237; vol 2: 265–269.
[tr.] Herbert, Máire [ed.], “Society and myth, c. 700-1300”, in: Angela Bourke, Siobhán Kilfeather, and Maria Luddy [et al.] (eds), The Field Day anthology of Irish writing, vol. IV: Irish women's writing and traditions, Cork: Cork University Press, 2002. 250–272.
271–272 introduction by Máire Herbert and a reprint of O'Grady's translation, with much of the verse left out.
[ed.] [tr.] Crowe, John O'Beirne [ed. and tr.], “Ancient lake legends of Ireland — No. I. Aided Echac maic Mairedo. The destruction of Eochad, son of Mairid; from the original Irish in Lebor na h-Uidre, a manuscript preserved in the library of the Royal Irish Academy”, The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland, 4th series, 1:1 — 1870 (1878): 94–112.
Internet Archive: <link>, <link>
[tr.] Joyce, P. W. [tr.], Old Celtic romances, 3rd ed., London: Longmans, 1907.
Internet Archive – 1920 reprint: <link> Internet Archive – 1879 edition: <link> Internet Archive – 1879 edition: <link>
97–105

Secondary sources (select)

Imhoff, Helen, “The themes and structure of Aided Echach maic Maireda”, Ériu 58 (2008): 107–131.
Vries, Ranke de, “Het onafwendbare einde van Eochu, zoon van Mairid”, in: Inge Genee, Bart Jaski, and Bernadette Smelik (eds), Arthur, Brigit, Conn, Deirdre... Verhaal, taal en recht in de Keltische wereld. Liber amicorum voor Leni van Strien-Gerritsen, Nijmegen: Stichting Uitgeverij de Keltische Draak, 2003. 186–202.
Vries, Ranke de, “The names of Lí Bán”, in: Joseph Falaky Nagy (ed.), Myth in Celtic literatures, 6, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007. 39–54.
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen, Patrick Brown
Page created
December 2010, last updated: January 2024